First things first.  Sara, if you’re reading, sit down and breathe deeply.  Yes, this snake was on our property where your girls have played happily and freely, but it’s non-venomous, and it wouldn’t hurt a flea–well, that’s not quite true–it strangulates then eats chipmunks and birds and small rodents.  NOT young girls.  Are you breathing still?

Yesterday Dan was mowing and saw this snake–a very LONG snake, I might add–scrunched all the way up that tree pole.  We think its head got caught in the netting below, because it did a lot of rattling, but not a lot of moving.

Two dilemmas.  Dilemma #1.  It’s rattling.  We think that rattlers are venomous.  Do they actually exist here?  I run into the house and google it.  Hmmm.  Seems that, in general, if the rattlers hold their tails up high and rattle, they’re usually venomous.  If they hold their tails down low to the ground, then they’re not.  Whew.  Ours holds its tail near to the ground.  Next.  What kind of snake is it, and do we want it around?  By the look of the pictures, it’s between a fox snake and a bull snake.  Confirmed: fox snake.  Harmless.  Eats rodents and such.  Pretty common around here.

Dilemma #2: we’ve taught Liliana compassion for animals.  “Don’t kill the ant!”  “Don’t step on the spider!”  “Be gentle with the worm.  Don’t fling it about.”

So, she’s watching.  What do we do?  We do realize the necessity for snakes in our woods.  Everything–plants, animals, birds–work together to create our environment.  BUT, a snake?  Especially one that terrifies just with the rattling of his tail?

Hmmm again.  I won’t tell you what we did yet.  What would YOU do?